Windows 8.2 could bring back the Start Menu this August

This site may earn affiliate commissions from the links on this page. Terms of use.

Microsoft has already shown off what the Start Menu might look like if the company brought it back to Windows 8, but it now it looks like we’ll actually be able to use it soon. According to leaked information, it’s due to arrive this August as part of the Windows 8.2 update.

With the re-done Start Menu, Microsoft is trying to better integrate Metro functionality with the desktop. Tiles (including live tiles) will appear to the right of the menu, in the same spot that items where documents/pictures/music and control panel sit on Windows 7.

Is Microsoft really planning to release another major update to Windows 8 before the end of the year? While it wouldn’t have been believable even last year, today’s Microsoft is very different than the one we used to know. This is the same Microsoft that’s finally released Office for the iPad and recently started giving Windows Phone to OEMs for free.

And as far as sources go, they don’t get a whole lot more reliable than WZOR. Over the past several years, WZOR leaks have pegged release dates and shown off numerous upcoming Windows versions well in advance.

It’s also clear that Microsoft already has a working build of the new Start Menu. If it’s already stable enough to show off on stage, there’s no reason to think it won’t be ready to ship in time for an August release.

Now, there’s a good chance that an August release might be aimed at manufacturing partners. That’s when Windows 8 was shipped, and it’s far enough ahead of the holiday shopping rush to give PC makers time to update their configurations.

The general public might not see Windows 8.2 and the Start Menu until much later. Windows 8 didn’t hit stores shelves until October 26, 2012. The release gap was nearly identical with Windows 8.1: manufacturers got in in late August and consumers followed in mid-October.

Either way, it’s coming… and if you’re still not happy with the way the desktop works in Windows 8.1, the fall update should smooth things over.